In a courtroom packed with parents, lawyers and reporters, four current and former Sweetwater schools officials pleaded not guilty Friday to a barrage of felony charges, raising the curtain on the largest public-corruption case to jolt San Diego County in years.

Construction executive Henry Amigable also denied two felony counts, accusations that he paid for golf trips, steak dinners, theater tickets and other gifts so administrators and trustees would steer him contracts.

Despite the number of defendants — and defense lawyers — the arraignments before Judge Michael Smyth proceeded quickly inside the third floor presiding courtroom. The case was moved to the larger room Friday morning to accommodate the turnout.

One after another, the five defendants approached the bench and pleaded in the still courtroom that they were not guilty of the criminal accusations leveled last week by District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis.

Sweetwater trustees Arlie Ricasa and Pearl Quinones and former board member Greg Sandoval and superintendent Jesus Gandara all denied charges that they accepted bribes and lied on state-required disclosure forms.

The politically charged case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Leon Schorr, who oversees the office’s public integrity unit.

The Sweetwater Union High School District complaint is the first high-profile prosecution by the unit since Chula Vista Councilman Steve Castaneda was acquitted of perjury charges in 2008.

The District Attorney’s Office issued a statement Friday saying it would have no further comment on the case throughout the prosecution.

Issued Jan. 3, the sweeping complaint includes 26 felonies and eight misdemeanor charges related to the administration of Proposition O, a $644 million bond approved by Sweetwater voters in 2006.

The defendants face between four and seven years in state prison if convicted on all charges.

Gandara, who was fired in June after a series of reports by The Watchdog, and former trustee Sandoval each face eight felony counts of perjury and filing false documents.

Quinones and Ricasa, current Sweetwater board members who plan to continue serving the district throughout the court case, are confronting four similar felonies each.

Sandoval, who chose not to seek re-election in 2010, was the last defendant to arrive in court. He took a seat and sat with his arms crossed before the hearing began.

The corruption case is likely to widen.

In addition to the homes of most of the defendants who pleaded not guilty Friday, investigators last month searched the homes of two officials from Southwestern College.

They were involved in the management of Proposition R, a $389 million bond passed by Southwestern voters in 2008.

According to search-warrant affidavits unsealed last month, Sweetwater officials engaged in a “pay to play” culture under which trustees and top administrators repeatedly accepted expensive dinners, airline tickets and hotels stays in exchange for approving or recommending contracts.

They even accepted “sponsorships” from Amigable for events like beauty pageants and conferences for their children, the records show.

In July 2009, for example, Ricasa wrote to Amigable’s boss requesting $1,800 to underwrite her daughter’s attendance at the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, a national education program for young leaders.

“Please let me know if you have any questions. We truly appreciate your support,” Ricasa and her husband wrote after the $1,800 bill was paid.

Ricasa, who is employed as an administrator at Southwestern College, was placed on paid leave after the criminal charges were filed.

Quinones relied on the Proposition O contractor Seville Group Inc. not only to pay for meals and entertainment, she sought help from the company’s president in an unsuccessful effort to secure a “compensated” appointment to a state commission, prosecutors say.

“Enclosed is my resume for you to give to Joe Coto as we discussed,” she wrote to SGI president Rene Flores in March 2007. “Hope you can help me with this.”

Later, after the company’s multimillion-dollar contract was increased, Quinones wrote to Flores: “Please remember our conversation about helping me raise money from the people you know.”

The arraignment attracted dozens of South Bay residents, including some district critics and dozens of supporters of the elected officials.

Gandara, making his first public appearance in San Diego since he was terminated in June, attended the proceeding with his wife, Jenny.

The couple stood away from the horde in the minutes before the courtroom doors were opened. They left minutes after the hearing concluded, having a plane to catch.